LAHORE - Pakistan Cricket Board’s executive committee chairman Najam Sethi has vowed to launch an operation clean-up in the Board’s ranks and said if he got authority he would sack all those employees receiving large perks and privileges but doing nothing.
In an interview with Waqt TV’s programme Game Beat, Sethi said he had spent four years now in the cricket board and have completed doctorate in the game. Sethi, who is also the PSL chairman, also rejected the notion that he was given the position in the board to oblige him.
Sethi also criticised those former cricketers who pressurized the board with their negative comments to get jobs in the Board. He also revealed that they were in talks with a top team of top Twenty20 league of the world to play a Twent20 series in Pakistan. Terming the PSL a huge success, he said it was the success for the whole country. “Pakistan Super League in now a national asset and the nation will keep it safe and successful,”
Sethi said the successful holding of the PSL final in Lahore has given the Pakistan cricket a major boost and opened the ways for holding talks to the international teams to come and play cricket in Pakistan. “An international team will visit Pakistan this year and talks with other international teams are also satisfactory.”
Sethi said cricket and politics should be kept apart and alleged that Imran Khan tried to politicize the PSL. He said due to negative statement of Imran some foreign players refused to visit Pakistan for the final match.
He said he himself sent the invitation for the final match to Imran and would have welcome him on the gate if he had come. Sethi said they have clean intentions in the borad and that is to serve the Pakistan cricket and take it to new heights. “We have posted a new video on our website which started with Imran Khan and ended with it. They are not shy to acknowledge and appreciate the services of thse who served Pakistan cricket.”
Sethi termed the PSL spot-fixing scandal quite disappointing and they took the right decision at right time to suspend the players and have ample proof with them against the suspended players. Sethi said he was against all type of corruption in the game and the board has established the tribunal consisting well reputed persons and also sending investigators to question Nasir Jamshed in London as his name was popping everywhere in the scandal.
He said he did not know what was the stance of previous top PCB officials or the reasons of their inaction on the match-fixing issue but he was determined to take the corrupts to the task and they would be shown no leniency. He also rejected the reports of differences with the FIA as baseless and said the FIA is a national institution and they cannot stop it from investigating the matter. He said FIA will carry on with its investigations and the PCB would also complete its process in due course as the main aim of both the PCB and FIA is to eradicate the corruption from the game.